Connections

Rudy Rodriguez

Trainer

Rudy Rodriguez is from Mexico and had a brief stint with quarter horses there before arriving in the States in the 1980's. He has two brothers who were involved in horse racing and they both encouraged him to go to the track and learn the trade. He started from the ground up eventually becoming an exercise rider before becoming a jockey. His biggest win as a rider came in the G-1 Suburban aboard Frost Giant. He started training on his own in 2012 after serving as an assistant for Rick Dutrow Sr. and Jr. as well as Bobby Frankel. He won the Belmont Fall Training Title in his first year and finished third in New York overall races won that same year.

Garrett Gomez

Jockey

Garrett won back-to-back Eclipses for Outstanding Jockey in 2007 and 2008, has won ten Breeders’ Cup races, and won the Shoemaker Award for top performance by a jockey at the Breeders’ Cup in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010.
Garrett won the 2007 Kentucky Oaks on Rags to Riches and has made nine appearances in the Kentucky Derby with his best finish coming in 2009 on Pioneerofthe Nile, who ran second.
Garrett got involved in horse racing by his father, Louis. Took out his jockey’s license to start riding at Sante Fe Downs in New Mexico. Garrett won his first race on September 1988 aboard Furlong Circle, in 2008 he set a single season record for most stakes wins with 76.
Top mounts have included: Blame, Lookin At Lucky, Pluck, Midshipman, Stevie Wonderboy, Borrego, Life is Sweet, Indian Blessing, Midnight Lute, Honor Glide, Wait A While, and Ventura.
His favorite sport and past time is golf.
Garrett Gomez was born on January 1, 1972 and resides in Durante, California.

Pick Six Racing (David Wilkenfeld)

Owner

David Wilkenfeld races under the name Pick Six Racing in honor of the wager of the same name that has brought him a great deal of success in horse racing. David grew up on Long Island and attended the races frequently, quicklly realizing to make it a profitable day it was wise to learn how to wager well. David hit it big winning large pick six pools at Churchill Downs, Del Mar and Santa Anita. He decided to combine his love for racing and his talent for business and purchase race horses. Vyjack is the first horse he bought and he is named for his parents, Vivienne and Jack. Along with his family he started PromGirl.com the largest on line seller of special occasion dresses.

Pedigree

Into Mischief--Life Happened, by Stravinsky

Vyjack would have to outrun his pedigree to win the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby.

He is from the first crop of Into Mischief, a noted juvenile of 2007 who scored his signature win in the CashCall Futurity. During a three-year-old campaign limited by injury, he raced only at seven furlongs, winning a minor stakes at Santa Anita and placing in both the San Vicente and Malibu.

Off to a good start at stud, Into Mischief has another Derby contender in Goldencents, winner of the Sham and Delta Downs Jackpot, and top Louisiana-bred filly Sittin at the Bar.

Vyjack is a half-brother to the Grade 2-placed Prime Cut. A well-beaten third in a pair of 1 1/8-mile stakes, the Peter Pan and Curlin, Prime Cut was arguably best at 1 1/16 miles. At about that distance, he won twice and also turned in his best stakes result, a runner-up effort in the 2011 Lexington.

Vyjack's dam, the unraced Life Happened, has speed-oriented bloodlines. She is by English/Irish highweight sprinter Stravinsky, who has principally passed on his brilliance to his offspring, such as the European-based Benbaun, the New Zealander Keeninsky, and English Group 1 winners Soldier's Tale and Balmont.

Stravinsky also appears close up in some major winners who have stayed much farther, but when getting substantial assistance from a stamina source. Such is the case with his Australian champion daughter Serenade Rose, and with multiple English/Irish highweight Rip Van Winkle, who is out of a Stravinsky mare.

Vyjack's dam is herself a half-sister to Disco Rico, a multiple Grade 3-winning sprinter and speed sire. The female line is replete with speed, with its headliners including 1997 champion sprinter and sire Smoke Glacken.

A rare exception to the overall pattern is Miss Slewpy, winner of the 1 1/4-mile Ladies Handicap in 1996, but she was helped by her sire Slewpy. Vyjack doesn't appear to have similar help in the stamina department.